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Experience Montana: A Series of Field Courses & Logo
Upcoming Courses

Many new Experience Montana courses will be added to our line-up in 2013. If you have an idea for a course, or if you would like to be kept informed of new offerings as they become available, please contact us. And be sure to check this web page frequently for new course offerings! 

Birding By Ear

  • A 4-Saturday field course in Ornithology taught on the scenic Kim Williams Trail in Missoula, MT
  • Topics include identifying birds by locating calls and breeding songs; identifying birds by size, color, shape, and behavior; observing nesting habits, and more
  • Dates: June 1, 8, 15, and 29 (Saturdays, 8:00am-12:00pm)
  • Activity Level: Easy
Chickadee in a tree

Historic Preservation: Missoula Historic Underground

  • A 5-day field course about historic preservation taught by Kelly Dixon and Bethany Campbell in Missoula, MT with a day trip to the historic district in Butte, MT
  • Topics include using historic documents to locate and document historic buildings and underground features, archaeological mapping with GPS and ground penetrating radar, historical past of Missoula and Butte, and more
  • Dates: June 17-21, 2013
  • Activity Level: Easy
Street scene in front of the Missoula Hotel circa 1908. Photo from Archives and Special Collections, Maureen & Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Urban Archaeology: Missoula Historic Underground

  • A 5-day field course in urban archaeology taught by Kelly Dixon and Bethany Campbell in Missoula, MT
  • Topics include an overview of archaeology and the Missoula Historic Underground, site mapping, a lesson in excavation techniques, historic record interpretation, and more
  • Dates: June 24-28, 2013
  • Activity Level: Easy
Sealed doorway below Missoula's streets. Photo by mclainphoto.com.

Hunting Dinosaurs

  • A 5-day field course in Paleontology taught in the rugged badlands of the Hell Creek Formation in Eastern Montana, near Glendive
  • Topics include locating fossils, field mapping, stratified rock analysis, excavation techniques, and more
  • Dates: This field course will be offered 3 times: July 15-19, July 22-26, and July 29-Aug 2, 2013
  • Activity Level: Strenuous
Tyrannosaurus Skull

Wild Wetlands!

  • A 3-day field course taught by Andrea Stephens of Northwest Connections, set in the wild wetlands of the Swan Valley.
  • Topics include identification of wetland types and their ecological values, the importance of the beaver to the environment, sight identification of wetland bird species, wildlife track identification, and identification of key plant species.
  • Dates: July 26-28, 2013
  • Activity Level: Moderate
A frog peeking out of water.

Landscape Archaeology: Pictograph and Ghost Caves

  • A 4-day field course taught by Kelly Dixon and Bethany Campbell in Pictograph Cave State Park near Billings, MT
  • Topics include archaeological field methods, archaeological technologies like 3D laser scanning and environmental sampling, tribal history, the importance of traditional ecological knowledge, land management preservation, and more
  • Dates: July 29-August 1, 2013
  • Activity Level: Moderate
Pictograph at Pictograph Cave State Park.


Past Courses:

Winter Animal Tracking in the Wild Swan

  • A 2-day field course taught by Melanie Parker and Adam Lieberg of Northwest Connections
  • Topics include animal track and gait patterns, identifying animals by their tracks, interpreting animal behavior from tracks and trails, forest ecology, and ecology of animals active in winter
  • Dates: Saturday & Sunday, January 26-27, 2013
  • Activity Level: Moderate

Discover the Crown of the Continent: A Glacier National Park Experience

  • A 3-day journey of discovery set in Glacier National Park and taught by University of Montana professor Rick Graetz
  • Topics include examination of the work of ice, bear elevators, burn areas, indigenous hunting trails, and climate change

Experience the Journey: Yellowstone

  • A 4-day field course taught by University of Montana professor Rick Graetz in the heart of Yellowstone National Park
  • Topics include a search for Yellowstone's northern wolf packs, study of changing wildlife migration and habitat, examination of various thermal features, and park management efforts

Don't see what you're looking for here? Would you like to suggest a course to teach or take?
Contact us! 

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About Experience Montana

Current & Upcoming Courses

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Have questions?

Email Candi Merrill with any questions regarding current Experience Montana courses or proposals for new courses. 

  • School of Extended & Lifelong Learning
  • The University of Montana
  • 32 Campus Drive
  • Missoula, MT  59812
  • Phone: (406) 243-2900
  • Fax: (406) 243-2047
  • Email: sell@umontana.edu